special forces glock

Special Forces Glock - Glock pistols are the standard by which modern pistols are measured. The polymer-framed, striker-fired design has inspired some of the most popular pistols in the civilian, law enforcement and military markets. The Army's new official handgun, SIG Sauer's M17/M18 MHS, also uses many of the design principles used for the original Glock17 in the early 1980s.

Although the M17/M18 is certified throughout the military, Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has chosen to certify the Glock 19 as the pistol of choice. From the Navy SEALs to the Green Berets, the special operations community overwhelmingly favors Austrian designs. However, this is not always the case. SOCOM needs Army Special Forces to write some clever requirements to get a Glock.

Special Forces Glock

The Beretta M9 was adopted as the US military's primary weapon in 1985 and remained unchanged through the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Many fighters complained about the weak 9mm rounds and lack of stopping power compared to the legendary M1911 chambered for .45 ACP. Plus, the M9's steel rails and frame mean extra weight. While a few ounces may not seem like much, in the long run, every ounce counts.

How Army Special Forces Worked The System To Get Glock Pistols

2/6 Marines and Green Berets (second from left) conduct a joint training exercise. Note the Glock 19 in the green beret holster.

By the early 2000s, Glock had made a name for itself in civilian competition and law enforcement circles, as well as with foreign militaries. A lighter and simpler pistol that outperforms traditional all-steel guns, polymer frames prove to be the future. As younger generations join the Army's Special Forces through the 18X program, they bring with them a desire to arm operators with Glock pistols. The elite Delta Force adopted the Glock 22 in .40 S&W, further increasing the need for the Glock in special forces. However, the Special Forces were also accountable to the Continental Army and the purchase of new combat pistols was out of the question.

However, special forces got creative with their mission requirements to have Glock pistols in their arsenals. Full size pistols like the Glock 17 or G34 are similar to the M9, but special forces don't carry concealable pistols. This shortcoming was discovered early in the GWOT, as operators discovered the need to carry a compact pistol while operating in civilian clothing. In the mid-2000s, Special Forces wrote a specific concealment pistol requirement for the Glock 19.

Note additional accessories such as RMR red dot sight, suppressor elevation sight, X300 weapon light and threaded barrel.

Marines Are Buying \

While the compact Glock 19 isn't as well-suited to the intense combat in Iraq and Afghanistan as the larger G17 or G34, it's the only way special forces can get their hands on a Glock. Of course, the pistol passed special operations testing and evaluation and was adopted as a compact pistol for special forces.

However, this means it is not a mass release. Instead, only certain teams or specific team members receive new Glock pistols based on their missions. Because there were not enough Glocks available, the ODA often exchanged their Glocks for deployment teams and kept their M9s for use in the continental United States.

In 2016, SOCOM fully adopted the Glock 19. That means SOCOM units in other branches can get polymer pistols, which Army Special Forces can issue to all team members. Two years later, SOCOM expanded its modern pistol certification with the adoption of the TrijiconRMR Type 2 red dot sight. This widespread adoption is due in large part to the testing and fielding of the Glock 19 by Army Special Forces.

This circular acquisition approach is not unique to the military. In 2011, the US Marine Corps adopted the Heckler and Koch HK416 as the M27 infantry automatic rifle to replace the M249 squad automatic weapon. However, in 2018, the Marine Corps announced the purchase of 11,000 M27 rifles to replace the M4 as the standard rifle for the Marine Corps infantry. General Miller also carried a full size 1911, but in a combat zone with a compensator attached to the pistol, often the stuff of action movies.

Glock Makes Military Grade Pistol Available To Civilians

We are in the U.S. We wrote about Army General Scott Miller, the senior US military officer in Afghanistan and a Delta Force alumnus, and his penchant for carrying distinctive sidearms. As an offensive shooter, Miller's choice to carry a full-size 1911 has piqued our interest in the past. He is known for carrying Glock pistols, a line of pistols extremely popular in the US special operations community, complete with small red dot sights and extended magazines. Now, the General Glock appears to have some new upgrades, including a flared magazine for easier reloading and a larger compensator, sometimes used in competitive shooting, that attaches to the end of the weapon's threaded barrel. This is a feature we only see used for combat in far-flung action movies. We're looking for you, John Wick and Lara Croft!

The latest photos of Miller's distinctive pistol come from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent visit to Afghanistan, where the two met this month to discuss the way forward for the war-torn country after two decades of continuous US troop presence. Earlier images (pictured below), including images of civilians in a general assembly on the streets of Kabul in February 2020, show mostly the same gun, but without a compensator attached to the barrel and without a flared magazine. It is unclear, however, which Gen 4/5, Glock model it is. The 9mm G19 is the most popular in the US military, but it can also be the G17 or the .40 S&W G22.

Miller's sidearms have been in the news before, not because of their uniqueness, but because the general pulled out his 1911 during a brazen insider attack in Kandahar in 2018 that led to much-deserved attention. Controversial Afghan National Police Lt. Gen. Abdul Raziq was killed and two Americans were wounded. Miller was not among the dead.

Additionally, the introduction of the Sigs Modular Handgun System (MHS), which includes full-size M17 and compact M18 pistols to replace most of the Beretta M9 pistols in the various services, has made headlines in recent years. However, the Glock continued to expand its influence within the US military, especially in some elite units. General Miller served in Delta Force and other U.S. Special operations forces have largely transitioned to the Glock, 9mm G19, as the unit's primary pistol. Pistols fitted with Leupold Deltapoint Pro miniature red dot sights are increasingly appearing in the hands of US special operators.

Sf Uses Glocks? From The Us Army Special Forces Command Facebook Page

With that in mind, it's no surprise that Miller also carries a Glock, although his latest modification to the pistol is pretty unique. The heavy-duty compensator is designed to counteract the upward movement of the gun during firing and makes it easy to quickly direct multiple rounds at the same target, something we've never seen before on a US Army pistol in a combat zone.

Both John Wick and Lara Croft are known for using H&K pistols with compensators, which look great on camera, but in real life they made the weapon heavier and less ergonomic to carry, as well as reducing muzzle flip. Lionsgate/Paramount

While the civilian market is full of every accessory and modification you can imagine for a Glock pistol, especially for the best sellers in the Austrian company's lineup, see some of them pop up in the special operations community. But the compensator is strange. Actually, the merits of these types of compensators from Zev Technologies are debatable, although they are pretty cool. Hollywood has already decided on this! The video below does a good job of showing the Glock in a similar configuration with the same components and explaining the pros and cons:

One thing is for sure, General Miller loves his pistols and adds custom features to his Glocks as there is very little left to add to them at this point. He's serving in a place where friends can become enemies in an instant, and he's the number one US target in the country, so that doesn't matter, right?

My Glock Special Ops Model 19

We have great feedback on this post. As it turns out, this unique Glock (specifically the G19) configuration was called the "Roland Special" or "Gunfighter Special". Perhaps, its roots are in the U.S. Recognizable by a member of the Army's Special Operations Group - Chuck Pressberg, now with PressCheck Consulting. Still, its exact definition has always remained a controversial topic in the active firearms community. Some say there is only one true Roland Special offered by ATEI Guns, but others use the term more loosely, as anyone can configure their Glock similarly and apply the general concept to other Glock models, just the G19. You can read

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